About being a Farmer, County Supervisor, Husband, Father, Grandfather, and pretty darned average Blog Author.
If blogging was easy, everyone would be doing it. And we are.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Like Diarrhea

I've decided planting on years when it's too wet, is like having a bad case of diarrhea. You're never sure when it's over. The corn is done. Or is it? I'm going out this morning to take some more stand counts. I have some poor stands in two places. And a lot of corn that isn't even up yet. Replanting requires a lot of decisions the least of which is will I be improving my chances of a good stand by replanting or will I be better off accepting what I already have. Then there are the areas that were too wet to plant. Do you wait until the last few days of May and go try and plant another pass around these miniature lakes I have adorning my fields.There also is the field the Missouri River reclaimed last week. When the water goes down as it is doing now, the catfish leave with the receding water, but the carp aren't that smart. They will get trapped in the ponds that are left and stay for the hazy lazy days of summer. Not smart. That's when they run out of oxygen and water for that matter and begin suning their bellies.The water also leaves logs, sticks, bottles, more logs, planks, picnic tables, old refridgerators, boats, logs, duck blinds, decoys, maybe a dead farm animal, and then of course, logs, scattered all over the field. It will all need to be cleaned up when it is dry enough. IF that happens. Another decision waiting to be made.So whilst I busy my self with normal farming activities for this time of year, my mind will be trying to decide whether or not to plant something else or just put the planter away for the season. Like diarrhea, the urges are there but I'm just not sure.

17 comments:

I know this is all trials and tribulations, but it's also interesting to someone who hasn't had this perspective. Now, if this was Corporate America, you'd have to follow a poorly thought out decision tree conceived by a someone with an agenda , a fearsome command of popular jargon, self-importance and lack of vision.

Cliff,I agree with Mike. I think you need to have a meeting with all your employees (hmm, that would be just you). Maybe hire some consultants. Then have a kickoff meeting with your project timeline, with free food (and iced tea) provided.